The gas tax in Virginia totals about 50.8 cents per gallon on regular gasoline for the fiscal year running July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. That figure combines a 31.7-cent state excise tax, a 0.6-cent state storage tank fee, the 18.4-cent federal excise tax, and a 0.1-cent federal underground storage tank charge. Drivers in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads pay roughly 10 cents more per gallon because of regional surcharges. Diesel is taxed a bit higher at every level.
The Statewide Rate
Virginia’s motor vehicle fuels tax is set under Va. Code § 58.1-2217 and collected by the Department of Motor Vehicles.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Fuels Tax Rates and Alternative Fuels Conversion For the 2025–2026 fiscal year, the statewide rates are:
- Gasoline: 31.7 cents per gallon
- Diesel: 32.7 cents per gallon
- Storage tank fee: 0.6 cents per gallon on both fuel types
The tax is actually levied upstream, at the terminal or distributor level, when fuel first enters the supply chain. That cost flows straight through to the pump price, so by the time you swipe your card the tax is already built into what you see on the sign.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 58.1 Taxation, Chapter 22 Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax, Section 58.1-2217
Extra Tax in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads
If you fill up in Northern Virginia or Hampton Roads, you pay more. Va. Code § 58.1-2295 authorizes an additional regional motor vehicle fuels sales tax in both corridors to fund local transportation projects: road construction, transit, and congestion relief.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 58.1 Taxation, Chapter 22.1, Section 58.1-2295
In Northern Virginia for 2025–2026, the regional surcharge adds 9.3 cents per gallon on gasoline and 9.4 cents on diesel.4Northern Virginia Transportation Commission. Motor Vehicle Fuels Tax A driver filling up in Fairfax County or Arlington pays roughly 41 cents per gallon in state taxes alone before the federal tax is added. Hampton Roads applies a comparable surcharge, though the exact per-gallon figure shifts each fiscal year because it is tied to a wholesale price calculation.
Commuters who cross regional boundaries notice the difference. A few miles can mean 8 to 10 cents per gallon depending on which side of the regional tax line a station sits on.
The Federal Tax on Top
Every gallon sold in Virginia also carries a federal excise tax: 18.4 cents on gasoline and 24.4 cents on diesel. Those rates have been frozen since October 1993 and are not indexed to inflation.5U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Many States Slightly Increased Their Taxes and Fees on Gasoline in the Past Year6Congressional Budget Office. Increase Excise Taxes on Motor Fuels and Index Them for Inflation
Most of that revenue goes to the federal Highway Trust Fund. A separate 0.1 cent per gallon goes to the federal Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund for environmental cleanup.7U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Prevention Cooperative Agreement Guidelines
Why the Rate Goes Up Every July
Virginia’s fuel tax does not sit still. State law requires the DMV Commissioner to adjust the statewide rate each year based on changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Fuels Tax Rates and Alternative Fuels Conversion New rates take effect every July 1, and the Commissioner publishes them at least 30 days in advance.
The base excise rate written into § 58.1-2217 started at 16.2 cents per gallon on gasoline. After the annual CPI adjustments that began in 2022, plus a wholesale-based component, the combined statewide rate is now 31.7 cents.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 58.1 Taxation, Chapter 22 Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax, Section 58.1-2217 Expect another adjustment next July.
What a Fill-Up Actually Costs in Tax
Stacked together for regular gasoline outside the regional zones:
- State excise tax: 31.7 cents
- State storage tank fee: 0.6 cents
- Federal excise tax: 18.4 cents
- Federal LUST tax: 0.1 cents
- Total: about 50.8 cents per gallon
In Northern Virginia, that climbs to roughly 60 cents per gallon once the 9.3-cent regional surcharge is added.4Northern Virginia Transportation Commission. Motor Vehicle Fuels Tax Diesel runs slightly higher at each layer.
On a 15-gallon fill-up outside the regional zones, you’re paying about $7.62 in combined fuel taxes. In Northern Virginia, that same fill-up carries around $9.02 in tax.
If You Drive an Electric Vehicle
EV drivers skip the gas tax but still use the roads it funds, and Virginia closes that gap with an annual highway use fee under Va. Code § 46.2-772. For 2025–2026, the fee on all-electric vehicles is $131.88.8Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. 2025 Estimated Highway Use Fee Chart
The amount is calculated as 85 percent of what a vehicle averaging 23.7 miles per gallon would pay in fuel taxes over the average annual mileage of a passenger vehicle in the Commonwealth.9Virginia Code Commission. Chapter 7 Highway Use Fee and Mileage-Based User Fee Program Low-speed electric vehicles registered under a separate chapter pay a flat $25. Fuel-efficient gasoline vehicles and plug-in hybrids also owe a highway use fee, with the amount varying by the vehicle’s MPG rating. The DMV collects the fee at registration, and if you register for multiple years, the fee multiplies accordingly.